Dangling Conversation
joan baez & dar williams Lyrics

It's a still life water color,
The scene, like a watercolor painting, is still and peaceful

Of a now late afternoon,
The time of day is late afternoon

As the sun shines through the curtained lace
The sun is shining through the curtains, casting shadows on the room

And shadows wash the room.
The shadows create a calming atmosphere as they cover the room

And we sit and drink our coffee
The couple is sitting and enjoying their coffee

Couched in our indifference,
Despite being together, they are emotionally distant

Like shells upon the shore
Their emotional distance is comparable to the distance between the shells on a beach

You can hear the ocean roar
Despite their emotional distance, they can still feel the power of their surroundings

In the dangling conversation
Their conversations lack substance and purpose

And the superficial sighs,
They breathe superficial sighs, indicating a lack of genuine emotion

The borders of our alliance.
Their relationship is limited and constrained by their emotional distance

And you read your Emily Dickinson,
The woman is reading the works of Emily Dickinson

And I my Robert Frost,
The man is reading the works of Robert Frost

And we note our place with bookmarkers
They use bookmarks to mark their progress in their respective books

That measure what we've lost.
The bookmarks represent their lost connection

Like a poem poorly written
Their relationship is like a poorly written poem

We are verses out of rhythm,
Their lack of connection is like verses out of rhythm in a song

Couplets out of rhyme,
Their lack of connection is like rhyming couplets that do not actually rhyme

In syncopated time
Their relationship is out of sync and lacks harmony

And the dangled conversation
They continue their conversations with no real end goal

And the superficial sighs,
They continue to sigh superficially, devoid of true emotion

Are the borders of our alliance.
Their lack of connection is what defines their relationship

Yes, we speak of things that matter,
Occasionally, they attempt to speak about important issues

With words that must be said,
They discuss these issues with the understanding that they are important

"Can analysis be worthwhile?"
One of the important issues they discuss is whether analysis is really valuable

"Is the theater really dead?"
Another important issue they discuss is whether theater is still relevant

And how the room is softly faded
As the day fades, the room around them fades as well

And I only kiss your shadow,
The man cannot connect emotionally with the woman, only her shadow

I cannot feel your hand,
The man cannot feel the woman's touch

You're a stranger now unto me
The man feels completely disconnected from the woman

Lost in the dangling conversation.
Their meaningless conversations have caused them to lose their connection

And the superficial sighs,
They continue to sigh superficially, indicating their disconnection

In the borders of our alliance.
Their emotional distance defines their relationship and limits their connection